Just a little while and then the sorters will switch from the old harvest to the new (winter) onion sets. The first blocks have even been lifted and in general they have had a fairly reasonable growing season. It remains to be seen how the bale price will develop compared to the old harvest. Hardly anything has been done for onions that are old harvest.
For weeks it has been about the very last onions, but now the end of the old harvest seems to be in sight. With the onion onion cart knocking on the door and a few imported onions, there is virtually no gap between the old and new harvest. After a small revival in the market a few weeks ago, demand for the Dutch product did not continue. The cheaper imported onions in particular are to blame for this, as they were a lot more competitively priced.
Quality issues
Sorters and packers indicate that there was little to do last week and that the leftovers with leftover onions were cleaned up. In addition, these were fixed agreements and orders that were already planned, which meant that little to no new trade was conducted for the old harvest. The quality often left much to be desired and each box of onions yielded less good product every time after sorting. The sorted product then also has to travel to the buyer for some time and maintain its quality there, which was not always possible. Not something new at the end of the storage season, but it does lower the final price or lead to a discount for the buyer.
As previously indicated, there has been very limited new trade and orders were already planned for the onions that were leaving this week. Including the quality issues, this makes it difficult to give a good reflection of the bale price. The bale price for onions remains the same as last week, bringing the average price for coarse and supers to an average of around €93 per 100 kilos. The average amounts to €90 and there is no longer a quotation for triplets because they are hardly traded anymore.
Sorters sort for onion sets
It is a lot busier in the onion set trade. The first (winter) onion sets have already been lifted and the first sorters expect to start slowly next week. Although a lot can still happen in terms of growth in the coming weeks before the harvest really starts, it is clear that the plots have had a pretty reasonable growing season so far. Some plots are already very large and good yields can be achieved. Traders also indicate that there are plots that are disappointing, but it now appears that on average they will yield reasonable yields.
It remains to be seen how the bale price will respond to the onion onion harvest and where the price will soon find its equilibrium. A lot also depends on the interest and with the higher prices paid for onion sets now, the buyer also has to dig deeper into his pockets. Last Monday, the Goes growers' fair set the first field prices for onion onions at €35 to €40 per 100 kilos.